Elisabeth
by Liviania
Summary: Done, and rewritten. Elisabeth Vida is about to have a fateful encounter with two vampires. An exploration in Shattered Mirror backstory.
1. Prolouge

Elisabeth

by Liviania

Disclaimer: Amelia Atwater-Rhodes wrote the book Shattered Mirror, and as such everything contained within it is her property. This is just me having fun with the story-it is not intended to infringe her rights or to make me money.

_Prologue_

Nikolas closed his knife in a smooth motion, studying the inlay pensively. Tonight had gone badly because the two hadn't been careful enough. He glanced over at his brother with no slight concern. Kristopher was sharpening his knife now without seeming knowledge of his twin's gaze. Despite that, Nikolas knew there was know way his brother didn't realize he was watching him. Kristopher had almost gotten hurt tonight, and that thought would weigh heavy on Nikolas's mind. It was in his nature to be protective. And his twin had always been his highest priority. Without his brother, Nikolas wasn't even sure he could exist. They were Nikolas and Kristopher, a set, a matched pair, together for eternity. They were bound together not only by their human existence, but the vampiric blood that flowed through their veins.

* * *

A woman drew her keys shakily, barely able to open her own front door. Not bothering to close it, she stumbled straight onto her couch. Red blood seeped out her side, determined to stain the piece of furniture. Beyond even trying to hold the precious liquid in, Elisabeth merely murmured a soft "Help," and tried to keep from losing consciousness.

When she saw the vampire, reflexes had taken over before common sense could assert itself. One knife, even wielded by a Vida, wasn't enough to safely take on a leech as strong as that one had been. Still she had won the battle. Her mother had always been proud of her skill and speed, if disappointed by her foolhardiness. The young woman wondered how the matriarch of her line would take her death.

* * *

Ian was approaching his house calmly, when he noticed the front door wide open. _Elisabeth! _he thought with alarm. There was no doubt of his wife's talent, only her ability to assess risk to herself. She was single-minded in her pursuit of vampires. But she was almost as dangerous to herself as the vile creatures she hunted.

Reaching out with his mind before he even entered his home, he made contact with the closest Smoke witch. Annoying, but useful, the entire line. 'Anna?' he asked with his thoughts.

'Yes?' was the testy reply of the witch, entering his mind even as he first saw his wife lying there. Something akin to shock filled his body. 'What is it you feel the need to bother me with?' Anna made no pretense of liking the Vidas. They were killers, and she had a holier-than-thou attitude.

'Elisabeth is hurt and dying.' He pushed the thought through his mind with force, trying to show a bit of his own dislike of the witch. Despite the mutual rift, he knew she would come quick. Not just for the ties of blood, and her obligations as a healer. But because she wouldn't let a child grow up without a mother.

* * *

It wasn't long before Anna reached the house. From the force of Ian's call though, it was longer than necessary. Once inside, a surreal tableau greeted her eyes. Elisabeth lay on the couch in a pool of blood that was no doubt her own. Her baby daughter sat on the floor burbling, strangely gleeful from whatever game the dispassionate Ian was playing with her. What kind of man could sit there, not three feet from his dying wife, and act like there wasn't anything extremely wrong going on? Perhaps, in his Vida mindset, there wasn't.

The witch bent over the younger woman, taking careful note of the damage. Only one wound marred Elisabeth's body, but it was deep and long. Anna desperately hoped the slash didn't reach any internal organs, the way it moved so smoothly over the witch's ribs. Carefully she placed her hands over the heart and wound, calling up her magic. A painful sensation tugged at her physical body. Anna ignored it and focused at repairing the damage done to the girl below her.

She wouldn't die, but she wouldn't be active for awhile. If she managed to be smart enough to stay and home and out of trouble, Elisabeth would be ready to hunt again in a little less a month.


	2. Static Future

Elisabeth

by Liviania

Chapter One

_Static Future_

Anna frowned at her own reflection. Night after night, Ian went out to hunt. Hours on end he was gone, leaving before the other hunters and getting back later. It was making Elisabeth stir-crazy, to be left alone with their daughter. The impetuous witch didn't see it as more time to spend raising her beautiful child, but time to dwell on the fact she wasn't yet deemed well enough to hunt. If Ian kept up his grueling schedule, it would drive his wife out to seek danger before she was again capable to handle it.

"Vidas. You're all hopelessly prejudiced idiots."

* * *

All the men in the posh bar were staring at the beautiful teenaged girl talking to a stranger. She wouldn't notice them however hard they stared. It was information she wanted. Her brothers had been in this town, she knew it. Her only hope was that the man she was talking to knew where they had gone, where they lived now. "Please," she asked, her voice strained. "I would never hurt them, you know that Kaleo."

"I also know they don't want to be found by you, Nissa."

Smiling at the girl's flinch, the handsome man leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. In that position, he whispered an address in her ear. He left the bar quickly afterwards, intending to tell the twins to move.

* * *

Elisabeth leaned against the nearest wall, her breath unsteady for a moment. Why can't I just get over this? She knew it had been a serious wound, but she wanted to be better already.

_Where is Ian?_ Elisabeth thought as she wandered through their house. Hearing her daughter cry, the mother turned back the way she came with a sigh. She loved her child dearly, the most emotion she felt for anything in the world, but she longed to once again feel the thrill of the hunt. She also longed to never feel the deep worry that lodged within her while she waited for Ian to return. It was insistent and pervasive, taking all her Vida control to ignore.

* * *

The house was garish. Nikolas wondered why they had chosen to purchase the monstrosity. Not a single square inch fit with their style.

"It's in need of a paint job," Kristopher commented bluntly.

Nikolas turned to his brother. "Yes, that would improve it greatly." Once they had gone over it with a couple of layers of paint, maybe the vampire could look upon his home without shuddering.

"I wish we didn't have to move so hastily. If we don't cover our tracks properly, and blend in, Nissa is sure to find us. She is too determined not to."

"She will find us eventually, but with any luck we can delay that meeting awhile. Maybe even by staying here in Massachusetts. She is sure not to look for us here." Nikolas stared at his brother. Kristopher was frowning, as if he didn't agree with something Nikolas said. But what could that be; they always trusted each other and spoke if something was wrong. _If something is wrong, he'll tell me. We don't hide things from each other. It would be like keeping a secret from yourself._

* * *

Nissa stared up at the house that belonged to her brothers. At least, according to Kaleo it did. He wasn't the most trustworthy person around.

She stepped through the doorway, looking about herself. If she had any doubts, they were gone. The black and white decor was definitively Nikolas's work. She had finally caught up to her brothers. It had been an impossible amount of years, but anything would be worth seeing them again. Going upstairs, she noticed a distinct lack of inhabitants. _It is still early. Why aren't they here? Oh, please no. Please, it's too cruel._ Nissa stopped her thought. They had moved. Once again, she was too late. Once again, she wouldn't get her deepest wish. "Why do you run from me?"

Sinking despairingly into a corner, blood tears ran down the face of a girl. Loud sobs filled the empty house, as Nissa cried for her lost family.

As the tears running down her cheeks slowed, Nissa reached out with her mind. But either they were too far or she was too weak. She couldn't feel them at all. It had been so long since she had, but she knew she was getting closer to them. _We will be together again. A family, as we are meant to be._

* * *

Ian ducked around a corner, familiar with the terrain. _Silly hunter_, the vampire's voice echoed in his mind. 'Silly parasite,' he thought to himself, holding his dagger firmly. The instant his pursuer came around the corner, the witch planted the knife firmly in the leech's heart.

Pulling out the weapon, a bit of light glinted off his watch, prompting him to check the time. _Elisabeth is going to be worried_, the man thought. She hadn't ever done such before she was hurt, but now it seemed it was almost all she did. He had always been better at taking care of himself than she was. Ian didn't get what his wife was making a fuss about.

* * *

Elisabeth stared at the clock. Every tick sounded as if it was mocking her. Mocking the worry she was allowing herself to feel. Where was Ian? Their daughter had gone to sleep long ago, and was not going to wake up for awhile yet. Babies weren't supposed to be left alone, but surely she would be okay. _I'm not going to sit here waiting for him to come home. That isn't who I am._ Resolute, she stopped her clock vigil and walked straight to her closet. Arming herself with a knife in each boot as well as her Vida knife, she only needed a coat to be ready to go. It would slow down her access to her back sheath, but it was cold and she wasn't looking for trouble. She was looking for her husband.

* * *

Nikolas frowned at his brother. He was obviously hungry, but he hadn't gone out yet. "You need to feed."

"I know, but you seemed busy," Kristopher replied with a smile for his twin. "I was waiting for you."

"Let's go out and get some food then," Nikolas replied, rising from his painting. In an instant, the two vampires had disappeared and were out on the hunt for a willing victim.


	3. Sealing the Present

Elisabeth

by Liviania

Chapter Two

_Sealing the Present_

Elisabeth walked into another alley. The tenth one she had come upon without any sign of Ian. _Where are you? How many alleys am I going to have to walk tonight to find and bring you home?_

As she had in the previous nine alleys, she walked out and marked another x on her mental map. It didn't matter how many places he wasn't, she was not going to give up. It was tiring to wait at home and be told she couldn't go out. To be told her body wasn't completely healed yet.

_Well, Anna, I feel fine. So you can stop getting oh so concerned about me. I know you don't truly care anyway._

* * *

Ian unlocked his door and entered quickly; he could hear his daughter crying. He stepped into her room, wondering why Elisabeth hadn't gone to quite her yet. "Shh, shh, daddy's here." He picked her up, trying to comfort her. She wouldn't quiet until he figured out what she wanted.

He glanced around the room desperately, searching for the panacea. Where was Elisabeth? She often came running the instant her child started crying. Apparently even Vidas had maternal instincts. He walked with his daughter, hoping to calm her down with the sights.

The coat closet was open. Elisabeth's coat was gone. "No," he breathed.

_Anna, _he called, _Elisabeth is gone. I need you to watch the baby so I can go after her._ He sat on the couch, waiting nervously for the Smoke witch to arrive. Elisabeth was probably just looking for him, but there was no doubt in his mind—if his wife found trouble, she would throw herself headlong into it.

* * *

"Hello," a girl's voice wafted through the shadows. The brothers had come upon the thin young woman not long after setting out. Seeing their faces, so utterly alike, she stammered out, "I-I found you. I've heard that you'll…that you'll let me die. I don't want to live here, like this, the way I have been. Will…will you-?"

_You need to feed,_ Nikolas reminded his brother. He knew the girl's fear would turn the younger twin off. But prey was here, and willing. They shouldn't need to go farther.

_I won't kill her though,_ Kristopher told him, his mental voice laced with the bloodlust, _Both__ you and I can tell she doesn't truly want to die. She just thinks so, in this moment._ Kristopher stepped forward, approaching the girl. As she tilted her head to the side, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Leaning into the bared stretch of skin, he fed, to sate the inescapable hunger with in him.

* * *

Elisabeth came onto another street, ignoring a stitch building in her side. _Okay, so I'm not as in shape as usual. I'm still faster than most of the others._ She spotted yet another alley, and wished for her husband to be contained within. The chase was rapidly becoming tedious. She had a great long speech in her mind prepared to yell at Ian when she found him.

She walked into the mouth of the alley, and hissed. Right in front of her, a vampire was feeding from a girl. Running up before the feeding vampire noticed her, or she noticed the second one lurking, she took a knife from within her boot and plunged it through the preoccupied vampire's back. She missed her target of the heart though, as a body hurtled into her and knocked her to the ground.

* * *

Kristopher gasped in pain as the knife entered his back. He fell to his knees, taking the no longer trembling girl down with him. Knowing Nikolas would protect him, he lay the unconscious girl off to the side. Then he went to join in the fight. It was practically over though, by the time he came in.

* * *

Nikolas almost hadn't notice the witch in time. The instant he had noticed her heading for his brother, he had reacted with his superhuman speed. As soon as Elisabeth hit the ground, he had his knife pulled out of his back pocket. Flicking it open, he swiped open her right arm, not giving her a second. The way she had come at his brother…the girl could be nothing more than a witch.

She got up before he got in another strike, and dodged the second he aimed at her. The third managed to strike her right arm.

Elisabeth started to go for he Vida knife, but remembered her coat. Ducking away and rolling, she grabbed her the knife from her other boot and started fighting in earnest. Now she could truly feel the weakness from her injury, but the young witch didn't dare back down.

Nikolas parried several blows, and landed several. Then Kristopher came from behind the witch, and the vampire had his opening. He darted forward, and drove his knife upward into the witch's heart. Glancing at Kristopher, he smiled with relief. With a little blood his twin would be fine. Before the left to find him more blood, there was one thing left to do… Carefully, Nikolas carved his name, a flower, and a strand of ivy onto the witch's arms. His brother had matching symbols, but wasn't in a state to decorate the dead witch. He gathered up his brother and took him away. It looked like they would be moving again. It was an ugly house.

* * *

It was not Ian who found Elisabeth. When the girl Kristopher had fed upon awoke and found the dead woman, she had run instantly to the nearby house for help. But so she wasn't blamed for the murder, she ran away before any one could find her.

Ian was called to the morgue to identify his wife's body-until then, he had held hope of finding her. But he knew without a doubt the dead Jane Doe was her. Not that he told the authorities that.

_Nikolas__…Our line shall hunt you until you are dead, for what you have done to Elisabeth._


End file.
